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Adria LNG Consortium Closes Office in Zagreb

The international consortium Adria LNG, which was supposed to build a liquefied natural gas terminal on Krk, has shut down its office in Zagreb, revealed Goran Frančić, Director of the Development Sector at Plinacro, which was to participate in the construction of the terminal in Omišalj on Krk along with Ina.

At a press reception during which key Plinacro personnel presented investment projects from the past period, as well as those awaiting in the upcoming period, Frančić emphasized that they were not surprised by such a move. “We expected such a move, which was certainly motivated by a six percent drop in gas consumption in Europe, making the project itself questionable,” said Frančić, adding that Plinacro has expressed interest in independently entering that part of the market, which is why it has prepared an alternative and smaller project, LNG RV.

This is a project approved by the Ministry of Economy, Labor, and Entrepreneurship as part of Plinacro’s five-year plan, involving the construction of facilities for connecting an LNG regasification ship to the gas transport system. The primary goal is to bridge the period until the commissioning of a large LNG terminal, which will be built eventually, and according to global experiences, its implementation requires about two years and around 50 million euros. “We believe this is a project more suitable for the current situation,” added Jerko Jelić Balta, CEO of Plinacro, reflecting on the year 2010, which he considers crucial for Plinacro and the development of the domestic gas system.

He added that 1.3 billion kuna has been planned and spent for investments, and the projects they plan to complete in 2011 are worth 400 million kuna, most of which will go towards the continuation of the gas pipeline construction towards Split, expected to be completed by June 2012. The interconnection with Hungary, the second and third sections of the gas pipeline system of Lika and Dalmatia, with an emphasis on the Velebit crossing, as well as the complete gasification of Istria, were detailed by Dubravko Kamenečki, Director of the Investment Sector, as the most significant projects completed this year. “From 2002 to 2011, about a thousand kilometers of new gas pipelines will be completed,” noted Kamenečki, adding that 60 projects are currently underway in various phases. After the gasification of Croatia, Plinacro plans to prioritize interconnections with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, and Italy in the next five years, as well as developmental projects such as South Stream and the Ionian-Adriatic Pipeline. (J.T.)